A New Year of Focus and Foundation for the Tigers
A Fresh Slate for 2026
Coming off of a 25-31 season in 2025 that saw a good deal of one and two run losses, Coach Larissa Anderson and the Missouri Tigers are back with a fresh slate to carve different results into for 2026.
The Tigers were well capable in 2025 and had big wins over the likes of Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas A&M and finished with an RPI that would have been good enough for the NCAA Tournament. That shows just how close this team really was and speaks to the stout competition of the SEC. 2025 is long over, and there is no looking back for the Tigers. That is not the standard at Missouri, and Coach Anderson called it unacceptable.
Changes have been made staff wise and there are some new faces that Coach Anderson is looking to make an immediate impact, along with returning leadership.
Defensive Growth Under Jason Gwyn
When speaking of staff changes this year, Coach Larissa Anderson added Jason Gwyn as an assistant that has been a great defensive mind in softball for years.
Missouri finished with a .971 fielding percentage last season, which saw 42 errors committed. Anderson feels good and confident in the defensive unit this year, as they have more experience.
“I feel great about it. Our middle infielders were freshmen last year, so now with a season under their belt, they understand the speed of the game at this level. They look strong and confident,” said Larissa Anderson.
Madison Uptegrove is back after a freshman season split between second base and shortstop. She appeared in 51 games, making 47 starts, 25 at second and 22 at short. That experience adds another steady presence to Missouri’s infield as the Tigers look to clean up mistakes and build more consistency defensively.
Sophie Smith is another returner who saw time in the middle infield last season. She appeared in 32 games, making 25 starts at second base as a freshman. Her game experience and familiarity with the speed of the SEC should give Missouri the solid infield that Coach Anderson feels confident in.
Jake Epstein Joins the Staff
One of the major changes for the Tigers coming into this 2025-26 year was the addition of Jake Epstein to the staff. Epstein has a proven record of elite hitting and offensive strategy in his career.
The Tigers were poor offensively last season and looked for the big swing more than the strategy of production in other ways, which caused them to chase more than you would want. Missouri struck out 306 times as a team in 2025. According to 64 Analytics, that was seventh worst in the country out of 309 teams.
“Jake Epstein has been instrumental in helping our hitters understand and control the strike zone,” Anderson said. “We are teaching that baseball style 70 to 30 mentality, focus on the 70 percent of pitches you can hit hard and avoid the 30 percent you cannot. Every batter now knows what they should be looking for and how to capitalize.”
That leads to manufacturing more runs and learning to hit better situationally. Missouri lost 12 games by one run and eight games by two. So, twenty of those 31 losses were well in reach, and another point that Anderson made was the Tigers struggled to win late. They were 0-15 if they went into the fifth inning trailing. She called that a mental toughness issue and proof that they did not do well stringing together offense when most needed.
A New Level of Intent & Energy
One game does not define a season, and Larissa Anderson wants to make sure this year’s team does not get too high or too low. There is always more work to be done. This team has taken charge of that mindset.
“So we have to make sure we go out and we win every single rep and we win every single opportunity that we have. So their level of concentration is with much more intent,” Anderson said. And I keep using the word intent, but their level of focus and determination because they were not satisfied with what last year and the results from last year.”
As for the home run ball, Missouri hit 71 of those as a team last season but lost 58 of those homers after the season. A key pickup from East Carolina in Emma Jackson will bring a big bat and big personality to the fold. That is something Coach Anderson is excited about and called her energy a need.
“She has that outward competitiveness and energy that we really needed. She’s a very flashy, high-energy player, which is exactly what fits our program. I’d say our team has a really fun personality, but we didn’t have that outwardly flashy player before, said Anderson. Emma has had an unbelievable career up to this point, and we needed her personality to help spark our offense and add a little edge. She’s proven she has the power from her two years at East Carolina, but what really stands out is the aggressiveness she plays with.”
Pitching Additions and Development
While on newcomers, Missouri added more depth to the pitching staff. Taylor Pannell, who appeared in 33 games mainly out of the bullpen, transferred to Texas A&M. Then the portal gave one back in Rylee Michalak from Houston. As a freshman last season, she recorded six wins and tallied 35 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched over 23 appearances.
Houston used their pitchers pretty evenly last season, and that helped to keep innings evenly spread amongst the staff.
“Rylee has been fun to work with. She throws a very effective changeup and has learned to throw backward counts effectively,” Anderson said. “We made some adjustments to her motion, and she has already added velocity. She will eat up a lot of innings for us.”
Then there is freshman two-way player Abby Carr. I asked Coach Anderson about the immediate impact she is expected to have. Carr was the 2024-25 Gatorade Missouri Softball Player of the Year. Last season she posted a 23-0 record with 304 strikeouts and a 0.24 ERA across 144.2 innings.
She was also effective at the plate and is looking to carry that same ability in the Tigers lineup.
“Absolutely. That is what we expect from her. She is extremely talented and will contribute on both sides,” said Larissa Anderson. “She has the potential to be one of our top three pitchers and a top five hitter in the lineup. She is very strong and gifted, and we are also working her at first base for more versatility.”
Experience Returns to the Circle
Cierra Harrison returns to the circle after a 10 and 8 2025 campaign. In 106.2 innings of work she struck out 89 while giving up 35 walks. This fall, she has looked sharp and enhanced her command of the zone as well after putting in the work all summer.
“She has been great. She stayed here all summer and is in the best shape of her career,” Anderson said. “Her command has been excellent and she only walked one batter the entire fall. She is throwing with confidence and looks really sharp.”
Marissa McCann also returns after logging 148 innings last season, tossing 113 strikeouts to only 41 walks. McCann had some great games as a sophomore, going deep in games with six complete and pulling 10 wins.
Missouri’s command last season was overall good. They were 29th with a 2.36 strikeout to walk ratio according to 64 Analytics. However, One thing I am looking for in 2026 is the ability to cut down on the home runs allowed across the staff.
With returning experience and fresh arms joining the staff, Missouri’s pitching will be a unit worth keeping an eye on. The mindset shift since last season, combined with the work put in through the summer and fall, makes me curious to see how it carries into the season.
The SEC Challenge
The Tigers of course have a tough SEC slate, as there are no weekends that you can ever take lightly. Their weekends will consist of at Florida, Alabama, at Auburn, LSU, at Georgia, South Carolina, at Arkansas, and Tennessee. All top caliber competition with their own strengths in multiple areas.
Missouri will have to show up every day and every inning, and as Coach Anderson mentioned learn how to handle hard.
“That is what makes this conference so special. Every weekend is a challenge,” said Larissa Anderson. “That is why you play the game, to compete at the highest level. It challenges me as a coach and challenges our players. In the SEC, every team can beat anyone on any given day. The coaching is elite, the talent is incredible, and anyone could win a national championship. That is what makes it so exciting. The key is staying healthy and learning how to handle hard. The great players do that. You might go 0 for 4 one day and 2 for 4 the next, but you cannot let the 0 for 4 define you.”
Early Tests in Clearwater
However, the Missouri Tigers will start with top level competition well before SEC play arrives.
The NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater will see the Tigers face teams like Oregon, Penn State, and Liberty to start the season. Something that is much needed to measure right off the bat where you are as a team.
“It is quite the opening test and that is intentional,” Anderson said. “You want to play the best outside your conference to see where you stand. It exposes what you need to improve and gets the younger players up to speed quickly. Those early games will test us, but we are confident we can compete in every one.”
Staying Present and Winning the Day
To wrap it all up, one of the keys for Missouri is being where their feet are. Yesterday does not matter, neither does tomorrow for now. What matters is what you are doing now.
“We focus on being where our feet are. What can we win today? What can we improve today? We do not talk about the past, good or bad, we learn from it and move on. We also do not talk about the future,” said Larissa Anderson. It starts with our 6 a.m. workouts. We have to win the morning, then win practice that afternoon. When you focus on the little things, you give yourself a shot at the big thing. If you are only thinking about June and the College World Series, you miss the process that gets you there.”
That is the beginning to building a better 2026. The mindset shift, focus on the task at hand, and handling the hard things. Stay tuned.
